SeeCalifornia.com

If Starkist’s Charlie the Tuna can talk, then it’s not hard to imagine fish with feet made for running–there happen to be flying fish, after all! Small, silver fish called grunion don’t actually have feet, though they do come to shore in something called a grunion run. Along the California coast people run after them during the designated open hunting/fishing season. It happens in March, then June through early September.

Grunion actually wiggle in the waves, moving back & forth along the water’s edge trying to bury their eggs in the sand during spawning season. If you’re well equipped with a fishing license and are brave enough to catch them with your bare hands, they make for a tasty meal, according to some who have caught and fried them.

When I first moved to Southern California and was assigned to photograph one of these runs for the Los Angeles Times, I’d never heard of grunion and didn’t know what to expect. Like all grunion runs, it took place after dark so it required using a flash unit to capture the action.

Years later I am a fan of the silversides fish and always amazed at the public’s fascination with grunion runs (many don’t know what they are but want to find out.)

After my initial assignment photographing grunion, I promoted grunion runs for a tourist destination till the effort snowballed. Local beach authorities asked me to please stop–they were inundated with tour groups wanting to bring busloads of people onto the beaches where the parking lots are closed after 10 p.m., the time when grunion typically “run”.

If you’re looking for some fun, Cabrillo Beach in San Pedro trains grunion greeters to facilitate & assist the public in experiencing this fascinating little fish.